By Nikita Stewart and Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, July 13, 2006; DZ02

Was City Administrator Robert C. Bobb endorsing lawyer A. Scott Bolden for an at-large council seat when he dropped by the opening of Bolden's campaign headquarters near Eastern Market on Saturday?

"I'm not supporting him," Bobb said. "I'm supporting everybody. . . . I thought I'd come check it out. I've never been by anybody's campaign headquarters. Maybe I'll visit all of them."

Bolden's headquarters looked more like an art gallery, a chic space with high ceilings and hardwood floors. He treated guests to background music by a solo guitarist, a spread of barbecued chicken, baked beans and corn bread, several choices of beer and wine, and door prizes.

But in this gallery, the only portrait on display depicted Bolden: The giant photograph stretched along one wall, his eyes as big as three fists.

Bolden's opponent in the Democratic primary, incumbent council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), said he was not offended by Bobb's presence at the opening.

"I talked to him, and he said he's not supporting" Bolden, Mendelson said. "I think it's much ado about nothing."

Speaking of endorsements, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club endorsed Mendelson to retain his seat but stopped short of endorsing a candidate in the chairman's race between council members Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3) and Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7).

Patterson took 52 percent of a club vote, but the group requires candidates to get 60 percent to receive the club's endorsement and a monetary contribution.

Mendelson won with exactly 60 percent at the group's Monday meeting. Bolden, Mendelson's opponent, got just 35 percent of the vote after a major flip-flop.

The organization advocates for gay rights. Bolden told the meeting that he supported gay marriage, the exact opposite of what he recently told a group of Baptist ministers.

After Mendelson pointed out Bolden's reversal, Bolden said, "I don't think that government ought to be in your bedroom or my bedroom."

And in a final bit of endorsement news, former U.S. attorney Eric H. Holder Jr. endorsed council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D) in the race for the party's mayoral nomination, praising her focus on improving schools.

"There is a direct link between good schools and a reduced crime rate," Holder said.

Holder, who once contemplated his own run for the mayor's office, said no other candidate even came close to winning his support. Public safety, Holder said, does not lend itself to on-the-job training.

Chad Williams , council member Jim Graham's only challenger for the Ward 1 seat in the Democratic primary, pleaded guilty last week in D.C. Superior Court to simple assault against his ex-girlfriend.

In March, according to the police report, Williams dragged Yvette Ross 15 feet and pushed her, head-first, onto concrete in front of his house.

The couple, who'd had an on-again, off-again relationship since 2004, were arguing over money.

Williams, 34, said he did not drag Ross 15 feet.

"I did grab her. . . . I grabbed her by the shoulder and escorted her out of my house," he said.

But in an interview, Ross described the incident as more of a grab-and-drag.

"He grabbed me in the kitchen of his home and he dragged me to his door. From the kitchen to the door, it's about 15 feet," Ross, 31, said.

According to the police report and Ross, the two were arguing over a handwritten promissory note. Williams said he had borrowed $1,500 from Ross.

"I needed some money quick. . . . I just never got around to getting it back to her," he said, adding that he had supported Ross financially in the past. "I didn't think she should be trippin' over $1,500."

Other than a gift, Ross said she could not recall financial assistance from Williams. When he borrowed the money, "he said he needed the money right away for his daughter," Ross said.

Why did Williams have a cash-flow crunch?

"He said he had put all of his money in his campaign," Ross said.

So far, Williams has contributed $34,680 to his campaign, according to campaign finance reports. That's about 80 percent of his total war chest of $43,400.

Linda Mercado Greene , former consigliere to council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) who took a leave of absence in March, has landed on her feet.

MacFarlane Partners, a real estate investment firm, announced Monday that Greene has been hired as vice president for community affairs and public relations in its new Washington office. The San Francisco-based firm specializes in urban development and redevelopment projects, such as the Southeast Federal Center, and hopes to expand its operations in the nation's capital.

Greene, who worked on Barry's 2004 council campaign and served as his chief of staff, has had a long career in public relations. She founded Linda Greene and Associates, a PR firm that worked for the Congressional Black Caucus Policy and Leadership Institute, the United Negro College Fund and entertainers Dionne Warwick , the Dells and M.C. Hammer , among other clients. Greene was widely praised for her work as national fundraising director for the Million Man March in 1995.

"With Linda's background in public relations and her decades of work with community groups and public officials throughout all levels of government, she has the ideal combination of experience, knowledge and relationships with various constituencies to support our activities in Washington, D.C.," said MacFarlane Partners founder Victor B. MacFarlane .

Staff writer Robert Pierre contributed to this report.